Lei An had bumped into someone and hadn’t even apologized. That just showed how little character Ye Yuning herself possessed.
The staff members present all pretended not to see, showing no intention whatsoever of helping Ye Tong.
Ye Tong could only grimace in pain as she tried to get up, but her ankle throbbed too intensely. The moment she tried to move, she collapsed back down! "OW!" she cried out. Feeling like she’d landed on something, she reached beneath her. It turned out to be two design drafts!
They must have been dropped by Lei An just moments before. Ye Tong’s breath hitched, and her hands moved faster than her mind, quickly stuffing them into her bag.
This Lei An, like Ma Di, was one of Manlang’s top designers. The value of drafts from someone like her went without saying.
When Lei An returned, Ye Tong was still on the ground. Lei An scoffed, "What’s the matter? Are you waiting for an apology, or for me to compensate your medical expenses?"
"Don’t assume everyone is as despicable as you," Ye Tong roared furiously.
The remark only made Lei An laugh scornfully. "A woman who steals her own sister’s fiancé—who could be more despicable than you?"
Although the affair between Ye Tong and Xiao Shuo hadn’t been publicly announced, the two were frequently seen together, and Ye Yuning hadn’t kept it a secret. Consequently, everyone at Manlang knew what Ye Tong had done. And yet, she had the audacity to call someone else ’despicable’!
Hearing Lei An’s words, Ye Tong’s face turned a ghastly white with rage.
She forced herself to stand, despite the pain in her ankle, clenched her fists, glared fiercely at Lei An, and limped away.
Her sprain was clearly worse than Lei An’s. Every step was an agony, a searing pain shooting through her.
Ye Yuning and Chen Wei emerged from the office just in time to hear Lei An’s disdainful sneer and see Ye Tong limping away.
Seeing Ye Yuning, Lei An approached. "Boss, the Gongshan drafts are nearly finished."
Ye Yuning averted her gaze from Ye Tong’s retreating figure and replied, "Alright, thank you for your hard work."
"It’s no trouble. The Gongshan project is straightforward."
Dealing with Gongshan was a completely different experience than working with Xiao’s firm. For external projects, a single designer could manage everything from start to finish. However, projects for Xiao’s firm often required the entire studio’s involvement—a typical scenario of a client demanding much effort for little profit.
As Ye Yuning and Lei An turned back into the office, Ye Yuning clearly noticed Lei An’s abnormal gait.
"Did you two fight?" Ye Yuning asked.
She hadn’t seen the whole incident, but it looked like Ye Tong had also left injured. If that was the case, it was truly remarkable!
Lei An was one of the gentler women in the studio. If even she had gotten into a physical altercation, just how outrageously had Ye Tong behaved to provoke her?
"No, we just accidentally bumped into each other," Lei An clarified.
"Oh," Ye Yuning nodded. She seemed a tad disappointed.
"She cursed at me," Lei An added.
"And then?" Ye Yuning raised an eyebrow.
"So I cursed her back," Lei An stated.
Ye Yuning nodded. "Good. You shouldn’t let yourself be taken advantage of."
Although their studio generally advocated for maintaining amicable relationships for the sake of business, Ye Yuning was never particularly courteous towards people like Ye Tong.
Done with the topic of Ye Tong, they moved straight to work.
No sooner had Lei An and Chen Wei left than the accountant came in. "Simon has transferred three million to us."
Ye Yuning was stunned. "Simon transferred three million?"
They had only just begun the project; it wasn’t nearly time to settle the design fee.
The accountant confirmed, "Yes, and Gongshan also sent over half a million."
This influx made the company’s accounts look particularly healthy.
Ye Yuning nodded. The half a million from Gongshan was expected, as that project was nearing completion. But Simon... even with the large Yuntai project, it was unusual for them to transfer three million so early on.
After the accountant left, Ye Yuning immediately picked up the phone and dialed Jiang Ye, Simon’s representative for her projects.
The call was answered quickly.
Before Ye Yuning could speak, she heard Jiang Ye’s gentle voice on the other end. "Ms. Ye, I was just about to call you. Our Young Director arrived in Upper City today and would like to have lunch with you. Would that be convenient?"
She already had lunch plans with Tang Xi and Xia Andai. However, with Simon being such a major client, she naturally had to postpone her meeting with Andai and her friend.
"Yes, that’s convenient."
"Then, I’ll see you at lunch?"
She had initially planned to ask about the sudden three-million transfer, but since they were meeting for lunch, Ye Yuning decided not to bring it up over the phone.
Throughout the morning, Ye Yuning focused on the Yuntai Mountain designs. Due to the project’s extensive scale, she was personally overseeing it. Ma Di, meanwhile, had successfully secured the Blue Island project, another significant undertaking.
Ye Yuning was heading to the parking garage, intending to call Jiang Ye and ask what their Young Chairman preferred for lunch, when a Mercedes G-Class pulled up smoothly in front of her.
Jiang Ye exited the vehicle and respectfully opened the rear passenger door for her. "Ms. Ye, please."
"You’re too kind," Ye Yuning responded with equal respect. After all, Jiang Ye was in his late forties and carried the air of a senior.
Gui Xingli was seated in the back. As the door opened and their eyes met, Ye Yuning clearly perceived a profound depth in the other woman’s gaze. It lasted only an instant before Gui Xingli smiled. "Please, get in."